Telecommunications connectivity has become a critical resource for most enterprises in the United States and abroad. Whether such connectivity is used to transmit traditional voice telephone communications, facsimile transmissions, or data, most enterprises from large corporations to small non-profit groups require such connectivity to function on a daily basis.
To meet these connectivity needs, a wide variety of methods and devices have been developed. Often the best solution depends upon the size and nature of a given enterprise. A small business may effectively and efficiently meet its needs with a small number of telephone lines for voice calls, facsimile transmissions, and dial-up Internet access. A mid-sized enterprise such as a business, a school, or a local government facility may require a local area network (“LAN”) with a high bandwidth data connection linking the LAN to external networks such as the Internet. A larger enterprise such as a large business or governmental agency with multiple sites may require a LAN at each site and high bandwidth data connections with appropriate hardware and software to connect the multiple LANs into a wide area network (“WAN”). Numerous methods and protocols exist for establishing LANs and WANs, each with its own unique attributes that may make it particularly useful in certain applications.
The challenge of maintaining adequate and reliable data connectivity becomes particularly pronounced when an enterprise has a large number of endpoints that must be connected. For example, national or regional banks face serious challenges to maintaining adequate data connectivity for their large number of endpoints. Such endpoints include, of course, bank locations. Endpoints also include locations such as a automated teller machines (“ATMs”), which may be located within bank locations or remotely from other bank facilities. Data connectivity at such endpoints must be sufficient to, at a minimum, securely verify account information for bank patrons accessing their account at that endpoint and to transmit information regarding the transaction to a central facility. Ideally, data connectivity to endpoints such as ATMs can be used to update endpoint systems, such as software, and to provide value added services such as real time account information, check images, financial information or entertainment functions such as games and streaming video.
While banks are a type of enterprise with a particular need to network a large number of endpoints, other types of enterprises face challenges in networking large numbers of endpoints include large retailers, package and letter delivery services, gasoline stations, and any other private of public enterprise with a large number of endpoints. Unfortunately, the present complexity and instability of networks with a large number of endpoints, as well as the limited bandwidth available to endpoints in such networks, limits their functionality.
The limitations upon data connectivity of networks with a large number of endpoints in the current state of the art derive in large part from the limitations of network communications protocols employed at the edge of such networks. In the current state of the art the endpoint is connected to a data network using a communications protocol. Often, physically proximate endpoints, such as ATM and bank locations in a particular metropolitan area use the local access telecommunications network to connect endpoints to an intermediate network employing a communications protocol such as frame relay. Data cannot travel to and from an endpoint at a rate in excess of the rate available using the communications protocol of the intermediate network. The intermediate network thus often creates a bottleneck for data flowing to or from an endpoint.
The inherent complexity of linking a multitude of networks also hinders the performance of networks with a large number of endpoints. In accordance with the prior art, each of the large number of endpoints connects to a local access network. The local access network connects to an intermediate network. The intermediate network layer connects to the wide area network, which often employs a high bandwidth optical backbone to transmit a high volume of signals over great distances. The provider of the local access network and the intermediate network may differ from one metropolitan area to another, or even in different sections of a single metropolitan area. Thus, endpoints in one metropolitan area may use an intermediate network provided by different service providers. An enterprise with endpoints across the United States can easily have endpoints connected via dozens, or even hundreds, of different intermediate networks. Within the broad range of United States telecommunications standards, each of these intermediate networks may have different system configurations and may possess varying bandwidth capabilities. This wide variety of intermediate networks, even if all are operating using common protocols and standards, creates a large challenge to connecting these multiple networks to form a larger network.
As one can easily imagine, the complexity of combining three layers of networks including dozens, and possibly many more, separate networks with varying hardware and network protocols to establish data connectivity between a large multitude of endpoints, creates numerous opportunities for failure and data slow downs. Depending upon specific configurations used, each local access network can require a multitude of switches and one or more routers to direct signals to and from the endpoint. The intermediate network also requires switches, routers, and other equipment to establish network protocols and to properly direct signals. The high bandwidth optical backbone must possess the ability to receive signals from the diverse number of access layer networks. Within each of the three networks, failures and transmission slow downs can occur. Also particularly susceptible to failures are the connections between the networks. Given that there can be dozens or even hundreds of local access networks and intermediate networks joined in such a system, one can easily see that the possibility of connection failure is high.
The complexity and fragility of present data connectivity systems for a large multitude of endpoints creates several limitations upon the types of services that can be performed over such system. Even the most rudimentary of services, such as accessing a central database to retrieve or input information, can be impeded or prevented entirely by failures in the system. The complexity can significantly impair the bandwidth available to endpoints, which slows data exchanges. The network complexity and bandwidth limitations also impairs the upgrading of software and services at the endpoints. For example, manually installing software upgrades at each endpoint can be prohibitively difficult when the endpoints number in the several thousand. Ideally, such upgrades could be installed using a “push” from a central source over the telecommunications network. However, faults in the complex telecommunications network described above can prevent all or part of such updates from arriving at all endpoints, and bandwidth restrictions in the intermediate networks can so slow the transmission of the update as to render its installation impractical. Other value added services, which could increase customer satisfaction and produce additional revenue streams for an enterprise, may not be available using a fault-prone and slow network. For example, the delivery of streaming video to endpoints, or the provision of real time data cannot realistically be achieved unless endpoint connectivity possess sufficient bandwidth and reliability to deliver such services.
The complexity of a wide area network involving a large multitude of endpoints also adds costs for an enterprise in terms of maintaining and upgrading the network. As with any endeavor, greater complexity leads to greater opportunity for failure and greater cost of maintenance. A simplified network, such as one that eliminated a network layer, would decrease the cost of maintenance and would also decrease the cost of access paid to telecommunications providers. The elimination of the intermediate network could also remove a significant limitation on the bandwidth available to the endpoints.